whom were the following:
Jas. Baird, David Bentley, William Clegg, William Cressard, J.
Cummings, the Dun Bros., Henry Elsey, William Galloway, John
Gray, Jas. Greaves, Andrew Gibson, Alex and Dan McMillan, Philip
Minden, Jas. B. Standing, R.S. Thompson, George Walker and Rev. W.
Walton.
Later settlers were: Alex McWilliams, James Cruikshanks, William Webb,
Jim Wardell, Robert and William Robinson. V.L. Cooper took charge of
the school in 1900 and taught for six consecutive years.
Baldur Memories
George Cramer was the first to own a threshing outfit in the fall of
’82, doing custom work for a radius of 15 miles.
George Cramer in February 1907 sold his first bunch of cattle delivered
at Baldur to Joe yon for the sum of $1200.
1899 – A.W. Playfair took eight first prizes and two diplomas for his
Berkshire pigs at the Belmont Fair.
1899 – Jas. Dale secured the Red Ticket for wheat at the Blemont show.
Mr. Alfred Woods, Glenboro president of the S. Cypress Agricultural
Society, exhibited wheat and won prizes at the Chicago Worlds Fair. He
was also superintendent of the Junior Seed Growers of Glenboro.
History and Progress of Argyle
(Continued from Page 3)
most of the matters under discussion until some future date. We also
find that those men, while they were Councillors were also farmers. On
October 7th, 1890 a meeting of the Council was called; but
not a single member appeared except the Reeve.; John
Harrower, the clerk records the fact that the councillors had all gone
to the Glenboro Fair, which would appear to indicate
that these early municipal servants had a full realization
of the value of good agriculture.
A meeting held on the 22nd of January 1889 is an important stone in
Argyle's history for on that date William Stark retired as secretary -
Treasurer of the municipality; and John Harrower, on the motion of
Councillor R. Johnson seconded by year. William Stark had served the
Councillor Thring was appointed in his place at a salary of $350.00 per
Municipality for a period of seven years, they were the formative years
in municipal growth; and undoubtedly some of the wisdom of early
leaders could be traced to the sound advice of William Stark. Today
after fifty years it is a pleasure to read his minutes. Minutes written
with bold strokes of the pen and contain an almost unsurpassed wealth
of detail. John Harrower, his successor became an institution in
Argyle. He held his office for 44 years. He saw Argyle grow from a
scantily settled pioneering community to one of the wealthiest
municipalities of the Province. The Municipality of Argyle was John
Harrower's greatest love and he served it faithfully. When he retired
in 1933 he was succeeded by his daughter Miss Gladys Bessie Harrower.
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The complexities of modern civilization have added greatly to
the burden of municipal administration. Municipal Councils and
Municipal officers of today have to grapple with a vast amount of work
unknown and undreamt of by the men of the 1880’s., yet in reading the
minutes of March 5th, 1889, I find some similarity in the problems. In
that year the municipality found it necessary to advance money for
seed grain under conditions somewhat similar to those employed in
recent years. On that date they had to give consideration to a petition
praying that a bridge be built between sections 3 and 10 in Township 4
range 14; but the praying petition had no effect, for the Council said
no. They also listened to a long complaint about Roseberry School, yet
judging from the action taken on the matter we are rather of the
opinion that the worthy councillors believed the complaint had no
foundation. They appointed two asŽsessors and paid them $50 a year
each. They donated $25 to the Winnipeg General Hospital; and so
throughout the minutes we find these, pioneers dealing with subjects
that I still found familiar to modern ears.
The 80's slipped into the 90's and the steam engine took the place of
horse power. Argyle advanced with the times. The Council fought
for a railroad and got one, they helped establish a flour mill in
Baldur. They built more and better roads, more and better bridges.
They saw the Town of Baldur grow and most of its finer buildings
erected. School districts had increased to twenty in number. With the
increase of social services came an increase in taxation, yet the
ratepayers of Argyle did not complain. By the end of the century
Argyle had lost some of its pioneer look. Fine farm buildings were
beginning to appear; the stamp of civilization was indelibly impressed
on the land. On the first year of the twentieth century Argyle had been
served by four more Reeves, namely Peter Strang 1887-1894, Ashton
Andrews 1895 and 1896, ChristiŽan Johnson 1897 and 1898, Charles Brown
1899 to 1901.
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